


Waterflower

by beaniek4



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Canon Compliant, M/M, Nightmares, Past Sexual Assault, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-14 08:38:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14766240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaniek4/pseuds/beaniek4
Summary: He rarely ever took part in any drunken activities, not wanting to accidentally get tangled in some kind of mess. This night had been no different.At least, it wouldn’t have been if he hadn’t been approached by a tall stranger with a bright smile.





	1. Chapter 1

It had happened a little bit before Clay had gotten the tapes. As someone—unwillingly—apart of the jocks’ friend group, Alex was expected to come to the shitty parties. Anytime he’d have to go to one, he’d just fill up a plastic red cup with some alcohol and skulk over to a corner of a room and watch everyone else party. He rarely ever took part in any drunken activities, not wanting to accidentally get tangled in some kind of mess. This night had been no different.

At least, it wouldn’t have been if he hadn’t been approached by a tall stranger with a bright smile. He had seemed nice, definitely had a sense of humor to the point of being able to respond to Alex’s witty remarks with some of his own. It had been nice, if Alex was honest. It had been easy to talk with the guy—Jacob was his name—and they eventually found themselves retreating to one of the bedrooms of the house the party was held at. Alex hadn’t seen an issue with it. They both wanted away from the chaos happening in the living room.

So when they reached the bedroom, Jacob had instantly locked the door. Alex must’ve been a little bit tipsy at the time for that to have not set off a red flag in his head. He allowed Jacob to lead him to the bed, where they sat and talked for awhile longer. It had seemed harmless.

Alex won’t deny the guy had been attractive. He was well-built too, and Alex soon learned that he played football for some other high school. They began talking about relationships, and Alex revealed that, yeah, he was into guys as well as girls. He even offhandedly mentioned that he still liked a girl he had dated in the past but that she‘s dating a guy that he doesn’t particularly care for anymore. Somehow that topic tapered off into a make out session that Alex thoroughly enjoyed. That is, until he was pushed down onto his back and he felt hands going under his shirt and down his pants. He broke the kiss to let out a nervous chuckle, trying to grab at Jacob’s hands and pull them away. He said he didn’t want to go that far.

“C’mon, I know y’want this...” Jacob had slurred as he bit down on Alex’s neck. His body was heavy and overwhelming.

When Alex realized that Jacob wasn’t taking him seriously, he began trying to push him off. Alex was scrawny, everyone knew it, and unfortunately he lacked too much muscle to be able to properly fight the other boy off. He attempted thrashing his body around and even started screaming for Jacob to get off, hoping someone in the halls would hear the commotion. He then had his wrists pinned above his head, grip tight and bruising, and a pair of lips on his own that drowned out his cries. He began kicking his legs around as tears pricked at his eyes. He felt so weak and scared, and it was then that he began thinking of Jessica and Hannah. He thought of the terror they felt, the unfairness of what they’d had to go through, what he might go through if he didn’t keep trying to fight.

His wrists were taken into one hand, the other hand undoing his pants. A new surge of determination flowed through him and he harshly bit down on the mouth covering his. Jacob let out a small noise of discontent and pulled away, anger in his eyes, and punched Alex in the jaw. Alex groaned in pain but made sure his resolve didn’t crumble. He took advantage of the situation and quickly kneed Jacob in the balls. Jacob muttered a few curses under his breathe as he toppled over to the side, hands gripping at his crotch. Alex took the opportunity to quickly get off the bed and stumbled towards the door. The room was spinning. It took him a couple tries—his hands had been shaking so much—to successfully unlock the door before he ran out of the room and down the hall to the living room.

He saw people still drinking and dancing around, unknowing of what had transpired. He sped out of the house without looking back.

—

After Alex walked out on his talk with Clay at Monet’s, he saw Jacob again. The other boy was standing around the corner with a group of friends. He found himself standing there, frozen, his eyes locked on that smiling face that, after a moment, turned and looked back at him. They locked eyes for a second before he continued on his way.

—

He tried to not let it bother him. He was with the others and they were all discussing the tapes, what they’d say at their depositions. He’s gotten so tired of hearing people excuse Bryce’s actions. It felt like barely anyone was taking that shit seriously, most choosing to hide behind Bryce to save their own asses rather than stand up against him because it’s what’s right.

Memories fill Alex’s head, memories he’d rather forget but that keep coming back anytime Bryce is mentioned. There’s so many people like Bryce in the world, and, truth be told, it scared Alex.

He’d had it with these people.

—

There were lots of things from the past month that he had forgotten because of his suicide attempt. He wanted those memories back, he wanted to understand what the hell was going on, and what his part in it was.

He hated that, when he started remembering shit again, he found himself also recalling the incident with Jacob.

—

During their outing, he’d confided in Jessica about what had happened, or rather what had almost occurred. He couldn’t find it in himself to keep it a secret any longer.

They had silently shed tears together.

—

He was with Zach at another physical therapy session when he spotted Jacob the second time since the party. It seemed the other was helping some girl, but once again they found each other’s gaze. Jacob smiled, waved, and Alex felt his stomach drop. Zach noticed that he was distracted and asked what was wrong, to which Alex replied that he wasn’t feeling well and that he wanted to go home. Zach doesn’t argue with him. Alex made sure they left quickly.

—

Alex has been with Zach for over a month, and he’s enjoyed every minute of it. He knows he can count on Zach when it comes to many things. He had expressed his care and support ever since Alex had awoken from his coma, and he continues to show that throughout the relationship. They still do physical therapy together, and hang out outside of school whenever they can. Anytime Alex confides in him about feelings of anxiety, guilt, or even anger, Zach always comes to him, or at least texts or calls him back so they can talk about it. Alex even listens to Zach’s problems, offering advice if he can, or just being there to listen and give silent support. They work easily together.

They’re sitting on Alex’s bed, going over calculus homework and joking around with each other, when Zach leans over to playfully kiss the back of Alex’s neck. Alex’s huffs out a laugh and turns his head to look at the other boy. They lock eyes briefly before they both lean in and kiss each other. It’s slow and tender at first, their lips softly molding together. Alex’s won’t deny that it’s his favorite kind of kiss. He lets one of his hands rest on Zach’s bicep as the kiss deepens, Zach’s tongue swiftly moving against his own.

Alex feels himself slowly being laid down, and he moves both of his hands to rest on Zach’s shoulders. Little moans escape from his throat as they continue to make out, and he’s vaguely aware of himself thinking how great the feeling of Zach on top of him is.

Then Zach gently takes hold of Alex’s wrists and holds them down beside Alex’s head, all the while pushing his body even more against the other’s. Alex’s hands clench into fists as his brain recalls a certain memory. He remembers being in a similar position, being held down this exact way, although the grip had been stronger. He feels Zach trailing his lips from his cheek to his neck, and he can feel his own breathing become unsteady. Suddenly the weight on top of him is no longer enjoyable, but instead terrifying and overwhelming, just like it had been that one night. The words come out of his mouth before he even registers he had spoken.

“—off.”

Zach barely hears Alex’s soft voice, but feels as though something had been spoken. He pulls away from marking Alex’s neck just as the other begins yelling.

“Get off of me! Get off!”

The words are tinged with fear and the weight of them causes Zach to hastily pull himself off of Alex, whose eyes are wide with unshed tears. Zach’s own eyes are filled with alarm, as is the rest of his face, and he watches as Alex turns onto his side, his arms wrapping around himself in a protective stance.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t realize— fuck, I shouldn’t have gone so fast.”

Zach’s apologetic voice brings Alex back to his senses, and he remembers that he’s not with Jacob. He’s not at that party with that guy. He’s at home, in his bed, with Zach, a boy who keeps on being there for him, who continuously showers him with love, praise, and affection.

Alex lets go of himself and sits up, finally bringing himself to meet Zach’s eyes, which are now showing concern and guilt. “Zach, I’m— it wasn’t you. I promise. I just— I had a bad memory pop up and...”

Zach hesitantly reaches a hand out to place on Alex’s knee when he sees that Alex isn’t going to pull away and that it’s okay to touch him. “Do you wanna talk it?”

Alex thinks it over. Did he? He has never told anyone of that experience. No one except him, Jessica, and that asshole knows what happened. He has managed to ignore it for the longest time, pretending it didn’t happen and focusing on the tapes instead. Although those hadn’t helped his psyche either.

He shakes his head, putting one of his hands overtop the one of Zach’s that’s still resting on his knee. “Not right now. Maybe another time?” He knows he can’t be keeping it a secret, especially from Zach. It’s just too raw of a moment to discuss it right now, and he’d rather wait and talk about it during a time he hasn’t just had a freakout. Zach nods in understanding and for a second he looks like he’s going to pull away completely to give Alex some space, and Alex realizes he doesn’t want that right now. He speaks up quickly.

“We can still hang with each other... if you’d like?”

Zach looks at him in surprise before a small smile graces his features. They situate themselves onto their sides to where they’re facing each other. Zach loops and arm around Alex’s waist and gently pulls him closer until Alex’s face is tucked into his chest. Alex’s arm also rests on Zach’s side, and their legs become intertwined. It’s nice and Alex finds himself relaxing once again. He allows the memories of that night slip to the back of his mind as he closes his eyes. It’s times like these that his mind is able to go blank and he doesn’t have to worry about dark thoughts rising to the surface. These are the moments where he’s happiest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't really planning on making a second chapter to this, but, after seeing that there were people who wanted one, I decided to create one. I hope you guys will enjoy.

Alex understands why things have changed, but that doesn’t make it any easier to accept.

Ever since that day, Zach has avoided doing anything more than simple kisses. As much as Alex enjoys the simple things nowadays, he can’t help but feel hurt that Zach doesn’t seem to want to touch him anymore, even know that’s not actually the case. He knows—knows—that Zach’s just respecting his boundaries. He knows that Zach is just wanting him to be comfortable.

He still hasn’t said a word about what happened to him, about why he freaked out.

He can’t seem to find the strength to just sit down and talk this shit out so that Zach will stop being so hesitant when wanting to hug or kiss him. He had quickly gotten so tired of people treating him like he was fragile after he woke from his coma, and fortunately after his birthday party outburst, people stopped walking on eggshells around him. However, it seems he’s back to that time, even though the circumstances are different. He hates the feeling of people pitying him or being overly gentle around him, and with Zach it’s no different. They still talk normally and hang out whenever they can, which Alex is thankful for. It just seems like the romantic part of their relationship has gotten a bit strained.

He feels like shit. He’s angry at himself for getting so upset that day. He knew he was with Zach—kind, kind Zach. Yet, even so, his brain took him back to a time he’d rather forget. The walls changed. The gentle hands on his wrists had suddenly felt tighter. The comforting body on top of him had become unfamiliar and way too heavy. He gets that it wasn’t something he should feel ashamed for, but he still can’t help the feelings of bitterness from swelling up inside of him. He feels he once again managed to ruin something good in his life, and he worries that it’s not something he can fix without explaining what happened at that party—something he’s definitely not ready to do.

He feels he has to do something though.

—

Zach drives him to and from school every day now. He enjoys those moments where they ride with the windows rolled down and the speakers blaring as they go down the different roads. It’s always been peaceful, a time where his mind can go blank and just chat idly with the other. No tapes, no drama, no school.

Of course, though, every ride must come to an end.

They pull up to the school’s parking lot and make their way inside, Alex able to carry his own stuff and only having to lean on Zach as they went up the stairs that lead into the school. Alex’s physical therapy sessions have helped him more than he’d originally thought they would. The two of them make small talk with Clay and Jessica for a bit before the warning bell rings and everyone has to go their separate ways. Alex admits that he’s not super affectionate in public, not like he used to be. He and Zach keep their relationship under the radar at school aside from quick pecks when barely anyone is around. At this moment, though, Alex will do whatever he can to make things go back to normal that doesn’t involve spilling any secrets.

As Zach is about to leave for his own first class, Alex reaches out and grabs him by the front of his hoodie, stopping him in his tracks. He leans up and gives him a long-lasting kiss, hoping that his feelings are being conveyed properly. He wants Zach to understand that he does want to be touched, that he’s fine with it, that he feels comfortable and safe with him, even if that day made it seem otherwise. He pulls away and huffs out a laugh at the shock on Zach’s face. “See you at lunch.” With that, he makes the trek to his class, leaving Zach looking dumbfounded.

—

There are hands touching him all over. Hands under his shirt, in his pants, around his throat and wrists. He can’t breathe or move. He can feel himself gasping for air, only for the hand around his neck to squeeze tighter. Never-ending streams of tears are pouring down his face, and he opens his eyes, hoping that, once he does, everything will stop. Instead he finds himself staring into the shadow that’s holding him down, black voids for eyes and a wicked grin on its face being the only noticeable features. Everything else about the figure is a blur, an unwanted mass keeping him pinned down somehow. His blood feels like it’s running cold, and terror is the only emotion he can feel right now. He’s so scared. The figure’s head gets closer and—

Alex’s eyes snap open as a scream tears its way out of his mouth. His eyes are wet and he finds himself shivering. Suddenly there’s a hand on his shoulder and he gets the urge to puke. As quick as his body lets him, he sits up and instead starts dry-heaving into his hand, fear still running in his blood. There’s a voice coming from around him, however he can’t make out who it’s from, his vision blurry and his mind disoriented. Zach’s face appears in his line of sight and feels himself relax a little. His stomach has stopped lurching, although he’s still trying to calm his breathing. He feels himself fall back against his pillow, his eyes focused upwards at the ceiling. He’s safe, he’s safe, he’s—

“Alex... hey, can you hear me?” Zach’s speaking so softly to him, as if raising his voice any higher might send him into another panic attack.

He’s never had a nightmare that bad before. Sure, there were a two nights during the weeks after the incident where those kinds of bad dreams would have him gasping awake. It didn’t help that at the time he also had the tapes constantly circling around in his head. Between the stress and guilt of his role in hurting Hannah and then the attempted rape, he hadn’t been surprised then that his dreams had turned sour a couple times.

But this was something new.

He tries to remember what had led up to this. He and Zach had been studying together and then took a break to cuddle. Everything had seemed fine. It was like things were on the right track to being fixed. He must’ve fallen asleep, and now—

“Alex...?” Zach looks as though he doesn’t know what to do, his hands held up midair, obviously wanting to touch Alex, wanting to comfort him somehow, but hesitating because he’s unsure if it’s the right thing to do at the moment.

Alex does want to be held. He wants to be wrapped up in Zach’s arms, where he feels safe and cared for. He wants to believe that Zach’s embrace will protect him from his fears and hardships. But he also doesn’t want any physical contact right now. While he may want it in his heart, he knows that if he’s touched he might freak out again. He doesn’t want to make Zach even more concerned about him, but he just can’t bring himself to be okay with such proximity. He slowly rolls over onto his side so that’s he’s facing away from Zach, hoping that the message will get across. It does. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Zach’s hands drop, although he’s obviously still worried. Fuck. There goes his plan with making things go back to normal. Once again, any situation he’s in gets worse rather than better. No matter what he does, it seems like life will always be against him.

“Alex, please talk to me. I want to help you—if I can—or at least listen and understand.”

He gets it, he really does, but saying the truth out loud only solidifies the fact it happened, makes it more real than it already is. It only brings to light what he’s been trying to avoid thinking about, and he’s not sure he can deal with others knowing what happened. He only told Jessica because he felt she’d understand, that she’d somehow be able to help. The idea of more people—even those who love him—knowing what almost happened in that room terrifies him. He knows it’d be healthier to come to terms with all of it, to fully accept it happened and stop running away, but it seems his heart and mind can’t agree with each other. It pisses him off.

“I think you should leave.” It hurts him to say it. As much as he wants Zach to stay, he feels it’d be better if was alone while he collects his thoughts and pieces himself back together again.

“Alex, you just had a nightmare and a panic attack. I can’t just—“

“Zach. Leave. Now. Just— please leave.”

He can feel Zach shifting in his spot, trying to decide what to do. There’s hesitation in his movements. He ends up choosing to get off the bed.

“Alright. But if you need me, please... please text me.” It seems like there was more he was wanting to say, but instead he leaves it at that before exiting the room.

Alex screams into his pillow when he’s sure Zach is out of the house.

__

The next day, the ride to school is full of tension. Zach had tried to get answers out of him, tried to find some way to console him, but he quickly shut him down, refusing to say anything. The rift between them was obviously grew bigger because of that.

—

He tries to play it cool during the day. He attempts to start conversations that have nothing to do with yesterday’s occurrence. Unfortunately, Zach seems closed off each time he tries to bring up some topic he feels they can discuss without problem. Nothing works.

—

They have a PT session like normal, however it was obviously different. Zach was still acting weird with him, and he never once touched Alex, whether it be to help him during his bike exercises or even afterwards when they were getting dressed, a time where they’d usually stay in close proximity under the guise that Alex still needed support when in actuality they just wanted to show physical affection, even in the smallest of forms. The fact that Zach kept his distance made Alex’s blood boil.

They’re walking to the car when it happens.

“You’re getting much better. I’ve definitely seen an improvement,” Zach says offhandedly. His eyes are focused on the path in front of them. He’s been avoiding eye contact all day.

Alex scoffs. “Wow, that’s so sweet coming from the guy who barely did shit today.”

Zach suddenly stops walking and gives Alex a blank look. He can’t decipher what Zach is feeling or thinking. It makes him uneasy.

“You need to learn to do it without me, that’s all,” Zach says finally.

Alex finds himself throwing his cane to the side, anger and sadness taking over him. “We both know that’s bullshit! You just don’t wanna touch me, like I’m suddenly repulsive or something!”

That causes a reaction, Zach’s eyes going wide. He's obviously taken aback by the accusation, but then he begins yelling as well. “Of course I wasn’t touching you, I— I thought you didn’t want me to! I didn’t know what you wanted from me, Alex, because you keep refusing to fucking talk to me about this shit! It’s like you are the one who finds me repulsive! When we were getting serious that one time, you freaked because of a ‘bad memory’, but never explained anything later like you said you would. I understand that big stuff is hard to talk about, but then yesterday you woke up screaming, and I just— I want to help you, but I can’t if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

Alex is about to say something but Zach cuts him off.

“It was a sudden thing, too. Nothing like this ever happened until after that day. Did I hurt you that bad? Did someone else hurt you?”

Alex feels his throat constricting. He tries to focus his attention elsewhere—somewhere that’s not Zach’s face—as he feels his eyes begin to water. He can’t do this right now, but he knows he needs to. Zach’s doing this out of concern, and, not only that, he’s probably blaming himself for what’s been happening. Alex doesn’t want him to feel responsible.

“Zach,” he sobs, “I promise you didn’t do anything wrong.” He’s crying now and he hates it. He hates how easily emotional he gets nowadays. He used to be so good at hiding his true feelings under layers of sarcasm and comical wit, but after his suicide attempt he can’t help but wear his heart on his sleeve, especially when he’s upset.

“Then what is it, Alex?” Zach asks softly, standing close in front of him and taking his hands into his own. “I know I shouldn’t pressure you to talk about difficult things, but... it’s obvious that keeping it to yourself is harmful.”

Alex feels his resolve breaking down, his face crumpling up as more tears spring free.

“There was this guy—“ He leans his head against Zach’s chest as he tells what happened, his body shaking as he remembers the fear he had felt that night.

“I knew I was safe with you, that you’d never hurt me, but my mind— it just brought me back to that moment, and... fuck, I guess recalling that and thinking about it caused me to have that nightmare. I feel so stupid every time I get upset over it because nothing actually happened, but—“

“Just because he didn’t go all the way, doesn’t make it any less terrifying or traumatic,” Zach assures him softly, wrapping his arms around him. “You were drunk and he tried to take advantage of you. Yeah, you got away, but... it’s completely valid for you to still be affected by the whole thing.”

Alex nods his head in understanding as he buries his face into Zach’s shoulder.

They hold hands on the drive to Alex’s place.

—

Their relationship definitely gets better after their talk. They had continued the conversation in Alex’s room, discussing boundaries and how to make sure both parties are comfortable if something intimate were to be instigated. They enjoyed the trust they emboldened between each other.

—

It was about three weeks later, at one of Zach’s football games, when Jacob turns up again in Alex’s life.

He can’t tell if it’s just pure coincidence or if life’s trying to punish him somehow. The answer to that doesn’t matter, though, because there’s one thing for certain: Alex can feel his body freeze up when Jacob walks into his line of sight. He recalls Jacob telling him that night how he played football, so it makes sense he’d be here, but that doesn’t erase the fact that it makes Alex extremely uncomfortable. He can feel his mind closing in on itself, his breathing shallow as his hands begin shaking. He wants to stay and support his boyfriend, but at the same time he can’t help but reimagine his pleas for Jacob to stop and to get off of him, can’t help but feel the weight of the other keeping him down on the bed.

He snaps out of his thoughts when someone lightly grips his arm, and he turns his head and sees Zach looking at him confusedly. He must be on a small break at the moment. There’s no one out on the field anymore.

“Hey, you seem pretty out of it. You alright?”

He wants to lie and say he’s fine, that he’s just tired, because that seems like a better choice than ruining Zach’s game with his fears. Although, there’s a voice inside him that reminds him that he needs to be more open about his feelings. He wants to push that voice away, but deep down he knows it’s true. He doesn’t want to risk having another fight just because he’s unable to be honest about how he’s doing.

“Actually, no, I’m— I’m not doing too well,” he replies. He figures that’s a good start. However, there’s not much time left before Zach will have to leave for the field again, so he’s got think fast if he wants to get everything out there.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, man. I know crowds and loud noises aren’t really your thing. If you’d like to leave, I won’t take it personally.” Alex can see that Zach means it. Zach tries to be as understanding as he can be nowadays. He knows not everyone thinks or reacts to things the same way, and Alex is happy he’s with someone who gets that.

“Zach, no, I want to be here, it’s just— he’s here.”

Zach gives him a weird look, cocking his head to the side in confusion. “Who is? Bryce?”

Fuck, he really doesn’t want to say that guy’s name, but it seems he really doesn’t have a choice. It’ll be okay though. He believes Zach will understand everything if he does say it.

“No, not Bryce. Jacob.”

Much to Alex’s relief, Zach’s eyes widened in realization. Alex could see the moment that everything clicked in Zach’s mind, and was even a bit surprised at the intense anger that overtook Zach’s face.

“Where is he?” Zach asks, his voice harsh as if it’s laced with venom. 

Alex looks down at his hands that are resting in his lap. “Number 66.” When he sees Zach begin to turn away, he raises his voice. “Wait!”

Zach looks at him over his shoulder.

“Don’t do anything stupid. Please.” He doesn’t want Zach to cause some kind of scene that might get him benched or kicked off the team. As happy as he’d be to see Zach pound Jacob’s face in, he mostly wants Zach to stay on the safe side of things.

To Alex’s surprise, Zach gives him one of his breathtaking smiles. “Have I ever done anything stupid?” he asks before taking off towards the field with the other players. Alex finds himself chuckling despite the anxiety that still lurks within him. At first, Alex doesn’t think anything is going to happen. Although Zach has been in his fair share of fights, he’s not exactly the type to throw down at any chance given. Alex thought maybe he won’t have to worry about a scene being caused, that he was silly to even think such a thing would happen. He tries to focus on Zach’s form only, completely ignoring all the other players, especially Jacob.

Then something interesting happens.

Alex sees Zach’s figure sprinting down the field and tackle someone else as hard as he can. The two guys tumble to the ground as a whistle is blown loudly. During their fall, Alex saw Zach not only elbow the guy in the chest, but also knee him in the balls, and it was obvious that the cup there didn’t keep the blow from doing any damage.

In the midst of other players crowding the two of them, Alex made out the number printed on the other guy’s jersey. It was 66.

—

The rest of the game is a blur, and Zach instantly goes to his side when it ends, slipping an arm around his waist. They walk to the car in a comfortable silence, neither of them mentioning what Zach had done, although they were both smiling.

—

“That was really stupid,” Alex says while they’re driving to Zach’s house, his mouth curved into a small grin.

Zach laughs and shrugs his shoulders, his face wearing look of nonchalance. The car slows to a stop at a red light. “Bastard deserved it. Actually, he deserves way worse, but yeah.”

Alex can feel his smile growing. “It was stupid,” he repeats, “but also... really great to be able to watch... Thank you.” They exchange a look and Alex finds the two of them leaning in and sharing a brief kiss before the light turns green. They drive off happily.


End file.
